. >> a surprise announcement from the vatican. pope benedict xvi said he will step down on february 28th citing health reasons. he becomes the first pontiff to abdicate in 600 years. cardinal timothy nolan re acted to the pope's announcement this morning on nbc's "today" show. >> i'm as startled as the rest of you and anxious to find out exactly what's going on. >> i find myself kind of somber, you know? in a way, boy, i love this pope. i mean, every catholic feels the pope is his father, we call him our holy father. the world looks to him with respect and affection. >> the vatican spokesman said a new pope will be elected by the ed of march. >>> some of my favorite jokes on twitter had to do with him making some money in the private sector. he's raised the bar as to what you're going to give up for lent. there's good reaction today, happened early this morning. media and twitter was on it. >> we continue tweeting with the question. >> it's a good question. >> he's got about as many followers as joan rivers, i think. there's been